Physics Project: How to Use Electricity to Make a Touch-Me-Not circuit

The project aims at making electrical circuit with the help of a 6-volt battery. This is a very simple and safe circuit for the children that can be used to play with the friends. The circuit is made up of a thin copper wire with a bulb holder attached to it that can be used as a touch-me-not circuit.

Aim of the project

Current or electricity is highly dangerous and the children shall stay away from all kinds of electrical appliances except those that work with the battery. This is what has been taught to us by our parents in our childhood. However, it is said that the prohibition is an incentive for ambition. The children try to do what they are not allowed to. Hence, I thought why not allow the children to make their own circuits that are completely safe? Hence, the project herein describes the way to make an electrical circuit with the help of a battery. The children can also use it as one of their stall items in the schools during the children's day celebrations.

Materials required to make this simple electrical circuit

A 6-volt battery.

A thin copper or aluminium or steel wire.

A plastic straw.

Modeling clay and polystyrene.

A bulb and a bulb holder.

Two pieces of insulated wire.

Procedure to make the touch-me-not electrical circuit

In this project or the activity, there is no danger of an electrical shock as we shall use the 6-volt battery for the circuit making. You can get it from a hardware store. You can also get it from a normal electrical shop or a ration shop. Take two pieces of insulated wires and attach them on both the terminals of the battery. You can attach any of them to any of the terminals, positive or negative terminal.

Take another piece of long copper wire or any steel sire and form a loop in the form a curved path having many troughs and crusts.More the curved and rough you make the wire, more shall be the difficulty level of the game.

Take a plastic drinking straw and use it to tie a small copper or aluminium wire bent in the form a small circle or a loop. You shall have to use this small tool to play the game with your friends. This loop has to passed through the bigger loop safely without touching the wire.

The thin loop that you have formed with the help of the straw has to be connected to the one end of the terminal of the battery. Attach one side of the bulb holder to the bare wire and the other end shall be attached to the battery terminals.

Hence, our circuit is prepared in which one end of the bigger loop is attached to the bulb holder which in turn is attached to the one end of the battery terminal. The other end of the bulb holder is attached to the small straw loop that is attached to the other end of the battery terminal. Thus, the one end of the small loop is still unconnected to any of the device. This incomplete loop shall be used to play the game as it is the breaking point for the circuit.

To enhance the attraction of your circuit, hide the batteries beneath of bigger loop with the help of the polystyrene or the modeling clay. Keep the batteries beneath the loop and cover it.

Now, you are ready to play the game. Your basic work shall be to pass the small loop from the bigger loop without touching it. If you ever touch the bigger loop with the help of the small loop, the bulb shall glow and you shall lose the game. The one who completes the game shall be the winner. If two friends compete the game, the timing of the two shall be taken into consideration. One who finishes fast shall be the winner of the interesting game.

Why does the bulb glows when the loop touches the another loop

In our activity, the smaller loop acts as the break of the electrical loop. When the small loop touches the bigger loop, electrical path is complete. The current flows freely and reaches the bulb that now glows. AS the bulb holder had one one connection with the battery and the other end was connected to the small loop, the path was incomplete. Thus,the touch of the small loop with the bigger loop completes the path of the current and the current now flows from one end of the bulb holder to the other end of the bulb holder.

Related Articles

Are you looking for an interesting Physics project to make a solar oven at home or school? Check out this experiment that shows the basic principles of solar oven, which will be an excellent physics project for your school.